Paint The Town Red: Voters Turning To The Right This Election Day

People are increasingly fed up with Democrats in office. Today is the day to kick ’em out!

At last the campaigning is over, and $4bn (£2.5bn) later – more than 10 times the money committed by the United States to fight Ebola – the candidates fighting for 33 of the 100 seats in the US Senate and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives will await their fate as the results begin to roll in on Tuesday.

That’s not all. Voters in more than half of the US states will also be electing governors, as well as other state office-holders such as secretary of state and attorney general.

On top of that, a total of 158 ballot initiatives will be put before voters in 48 states, asking them to answer specific questions of law and policy on issues ranging from the environment to abortion, gambling, pot smoking and hunting rights.

The big enchilada is control of the Senate. About 10 of the Senate contests are too close to call, but the Republicans should pick up the six seats they need to become the majority, while consolidating their existing majority in the House of Representatives.

But watch Louisiana and Georgia where third-party candidates could force run-offs, possibly delaying a final Senate verdict for one or even two months.

Only once before in modern political history have midterms been held with a sitting President as unpopular as Barack Obama. (The exception is George W Bush in 2006.)